Big role for Naples grad in D.C. shooting probe

Valerie Parlave, who graduated at the head of her class of 1983 at Naples Central School, became a renewed source of pride Monday for her friends back home, including teachers who had her in school.

“She is smart, I remember that,” said Parlave’s ninth-grade science teacher, Joe Kovalovsky. “And she wouldn’t take any nonsense.”

Monday’s shooting spree in the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. — in which 13 people, including the gunman, were killed — put Parlave in the national spotlight as the Federal Bureau of Investigation's assistant director in charge of the Washington Field Office.

On Monday, Parlave announced the identity of shooter Aaron Alexis and addressed the nation about the tragedy with other top officials. Focus will remain on Parlave in the days ahead as she provides updates. On Tuesday, she said the investigation had moved into a phase of "evidence recovery and information gathering." The remainder of the investigation is a "methodical and intensive process that includes bullet trajectory and crime scene mapping," she said.

Joan Luther of Naples — who was friends with Valerie’s mother, Pat Pangburn, a former elementary teacher at Naples — said she was proud to see Parlave in such an important role. Luther said she also got a kick out of watching a reporter interviewing Parlave on a national network, when the reporter asked Parlave to repeat her last name and spell it. Those who have been around Naples for awhile are quite familiar with the name, Luther said.

Parlave’s mother no longer lives in the area; and her father, Tony, a longtime math teacher at Naples, died a number of years ago. But Parlave’s connections to Naples remain strong. A former teacher and friend of the family, Bill Moesch, said he is in regular contact with Parlave. They have had family get-togethers in Las Vegas and Washington, D.C., said Moesch.

Moesch has enjoyed following her career, he said: “She has done a lot.” Long before Monday, he would see Parlave on national news and joke with her about it, he said.

Her dad used to call her “Big Shot,” recalled Moesch: “Now she really is.”

Parlave began her career as a special agent with the FBI in 1991 and was appointed to her current position last February.

When asked Tuesday, Rebecca Callahan, public affairs specialist in the FBI Washington Field Office, said Parlave was unavailable for an interview. Callahan said the assistant director in charge was working “24/7” in her position “managing operations.”

Parlave first reported to the FBI to the Las Vegas Division, where she conducted violent crime and fugitive investigations. Her work has encompassed coordinating violent gang and drug task forces, leading task force investigations, supervising undercover buys, executing felony warrants, conducting wiretap investigations, and acting as an undercover agent.